Heineken HEIA

Amsterdam, 23 June 2026

Heineken N.V. announces nomination of Rafael Oliveira as Chief Executive Officer

The Supervisory Board of Heineken N.V. today announced the nomination of Rafael (Rafa) Oliveira as the company’s new Chair of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer. The Supervisory Board will nominate Rafa to be appointed for a period of four years, effective 1 October 2026, at an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on 5 August 2026.

Rafa will join HEINEKEN from JDE Peet’s N.V., the world’s largest pure-play coffee and tea company, where he has served as CEO since 2024. Following Keurig Dr Pepper’s acquisition of JDE Peet’s, he has been appointed to lead Keurig Dr Pepper’s planned Global Coffee Co. (annual revenue ~US $16 billion), a new publicly traded business combining its coffee operations with JDE Peet’s, underscoring his proven ability to lead complex global enterprises. A highly accomplished international consumer goods leader, he brings more than two decades of experience in transformational leadership across both developed and emerging markets. At JDE Peet’s (formerly listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange), Rafa sharpened the company’s strategy, and restored focus and profitable growth delivering strong results and significant shareholder value creation. Prior to JDE Peet’s, Rafa spent a decade at The Kraft Heinz Company, rising to President International Markets and overseeing a US $7+ billion portfolio across Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. In these roles he built a consistent track record of driving compelling and focused strategies, strong operational execution and improving market and financial performance, while reinvigorating and building high-performing teams.

Peter Wennink, Chair of the HEINEKEN Supervisory Board, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Rafa to HEINEKEN. He is a dynamic, visionary leader with an exceptional track record of leading global consumer businesses and delivering transformational growth. Throughout his career, Rafa has consistently transformed complex challenges into clear organisational priorities, aligning teams around what matters most, and driving disciplined execution of strategy. He combines strategic clarity with operational rigour and strong people leadership to deliver superior results. The Supervisory Board is confident that his energy and strategic acumen will accelerate the execution of the company’s EverGreen 2030 strategic agenda and create sustainable value for all our stakeholders. With Rafa at the helm, we look forward to building on HEINEKEN’s strong foundations and continuing our journey of long-term, balanced growth.”

Mrs. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken noted: “My family and I are pleased with the rigorous global selection process that led to the nomination of Rafa as CEO. We believe Rafa’s proven ability to translate strategy into disciplined execution, his strong people leadership, and his clear strategic vision are the qualities needed to become an excellent HEINEKEN CEO.”

Rafa Oliveira said: “I am honoured and excited to join HEINEKEN, one of the world’s most iconic companies and brand portfolios. As a long-time admirer of HEINEKEN’s heritage and global impact, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead this great company into its next chapter. HEINEKEN’s EverGreen 2030 strategy provides a powerful platform for the future, and I look forward to building on that momentum while bringing my own passion for performance, innovation and consumer focus. What excites me most is the opportunity to work alongside HEINEKEN’s talented people around the world, whose dedication and capabilities are the foundation of HEINEKEN’s success, and I look forward to building on that legacy together. I am confident we will accelerate growth, drive productivity and future-fit HEINEKEN, winning the hearts of consumers worldwide. I cannot wait to get started on 1 October 2026, and I will be fully committed to ensuring a seamless transition.”

Rafa’s nomination as CEO combines the benefit of his extensive industry experience and proven leadership track record with the strength and continuity of HEINEKEN’s established Executive Team, positioning the company well for its next phase of growth. As an external leader with deep global FMCG and capital markets experience, he brings a fresh perspective that is expected to invigorate HEINEKEN and inspire and lead the current Executive Team. His leadership will sharpen execution and reinforce a culture of high performance, while keeping a clear focus on long-term brand health, sustainable growth and HEINEKEN’s distinctive culture. After a rigorous global search, the Supervisory Board unanimously chose Rafa for his unique mix of strategic vision, operational expertise, and financial acumen, qualities that make him an exceptionally balanced and well-rounded CEO to guide HEINEKEN through the opportunities and challenges of the evolving beverage industry.

Subject to shareholder appointment, Rafa will join HEINEKEN on 1 October 2026. Until then, HEINEKEN’s Executive Team will continue to steer the business and ensure continuity in execution of the company’s priorities. Further details regarding Rafa’s onboarding and a planned introduction to investors and media will be provided as arrangements are finalised.

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About HEINEKEN
HEINEKEN is the world's pioneering beer company. We are the leading developer and marketer of premium and non-alcoholic beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken^® brand, we have a portfolio of more than 340 international, regional, local, and specialty beers and ciders. With HEINEKEN’s over 87,000 employees, we brew the joy of true togetherness to inspire a better world. Our dream is to shape the future of beer and beyond to win the hearts of consumers. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution, and focused cost management. Through "Brew a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We operate breweries, malteries, cider plants, and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Most recent information is available on our Company's website, and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. 

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This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations and assumptions with regards to the financial position and results of HEINEKEN’s activities, anticipated developments and other factors. All statements other than statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements also include, but are not limited to, statements and information in HEINEKEN’s non-financial reporting, such as HEINEKEN’s emissions reduction and other climate change related matters (including actions, potential impacts and risks associated therewith). These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”, “ambition”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “goals”, “intend”, “may”, “milestones”, “objectives”, “outlook”, “plan”, “probably”, “project”, “risks”, “schedule”, “seek”, “should”, “target”, “will” and similar terms and phrases. These forward-looking statements, while based on management's current expectations and assumptions, are not guarantees of future performance since they are subject to numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may change over time, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond HEINEKEN’s ability to control or estimate precisely, such as but not limited to future market and economic conditions, the behaviour of other market participants, changes in consumer preferences, the ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and achieve anticipated synergies, costs of raw materials and other goods and services, interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations, changes in tax rates, changes in law, environmental and physical risks, change in pension costs, the actions of government regulators and weather conditions. These and other risk factors are detailed in HEINEKEN’s publicly filed annual reports. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only of the date of this press release. HEINEKEN assumes no duty to and does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Market share estimates contained in this press release are based on outside sources, such as specialised research institutes, in combination with management estimates.

Note to editors

Rafael (Rafa) Oliveira

Rafa Oliveira has been serving as Chief Executive Officer of JDE Peet’s N.V. – a global coffee and tea company headquartered in Amsterdam – since November 2024. In April 2026, following JDE Peet’s acquisition by Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP), he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of KDP’s global coffee business, while continuing in his role at JDE Peet’s during the transition.

Previously, Rafa spent a decade at The Kraft Heinz Company (2014–2024) in a series of international leadership roles. He served as Executive Vice President and President of International Markets from 2019 to 2024, after holding the position of President for Europe, UK, Middle East, Russia & Africa between 2016 and 2019. Earlier, he was Managing Director for the United Kingdom in 2016 and Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand & Papua New Guinea from 2014 to 2016.

Before transitioning into the consumer goods sector, Rafa built his career in finance. He spent ten years at Goldman Sachs (2004–2014), where his roles included Executive Director for Emerging Markets in Asia, based in Hong Kong. He began his career as an Equity Research Analyst in Brazil, working with Banco Icatu (1996–1999) and Banco BBA Creditanstalt (1999–2002) in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, respectively.

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• Heineken N.V. announces nomination of Rafael Oliveira as Chief Executive Officer
• Rafa Oliveira